PlanetCatfish.com

Hi all.

We started with some fancy goldfish, and added a bristlenose pleco for algae control. Mrs Plec as she has become known has won our hearts. My partner said "I want a BIG catfish" - so I went and got a Gibiceps.

BEFORE you start screaming - YES - I know they get big. So I'm buying a second hand 324 litre tank (Fluval Profile 1200) for it. Right now it's about 2 inches long, and sharing an aquarium with our bristlenose - the goldfish have been moved to a separate tank - it'll be going in the big tank alone at first, I may add a few fish later. The 1200 system comes with a fitted external filter system, which has been upgraded to 1500l/hr filter, I've got another external filter that I can add to the tank if necessary to make sure water quality is maintained, and I've got a 200w Hydor heater ready to go in as well. What's worrying me is tank decorations.

I picked up some WELL washed driftwood - obviously a piece of a boat wreck, with some nails in it. I'll be removing the nails, but will there be any issues with traces left behind? Some of the wood is stained rust-red around the nails.

I want to use a fairly coarse gravel - think the chippings you might see on a driveway - is this a problem? I want to use either blue slate or cotswold stone chippings - any problem with this?

Finally, plants. I know that sailfins can be hard on plants, inadvertently uprooting, etc - so I was planning to put the plants inside some glass jars that I retrieved from a nearby river, to protect the roots and put something a little bit different inside the tank. I also hope to get some moss growing on the wood by buying some plant already grown onto a mesh and fixing it into place.

Any advice you can give me about what I'm planning would be gratefully received.

My advice would be as follows:

1) Bits of boat are a bad idea, as boats are treated with all kinds of chemicals to prevent them degrading and becoming fouled at sea. Pre-soaked bogwood bought from a shop is much safer.

2) I would never use gravel of any kind in an aquarium. It's unnatural for most fishes, and causes bad water quality when bits of uneaten food and faeces fall into the gaps. About 1 cm or less of inert aquarium sand is much cleaner, as the detritus will sit on top and can be easily vacuumed up. You can then mix a little gravel of various kinds back into the sand for a less homogeneous look.

3) The plant pots idea seems fine, but consider java fern attached to wood as well.

Thanks for the advice.

Yep, thinking on it - lots of things do get stuck on boats. Although this is obviously an internal timber, I shall use this as a feature item in the house. It's had some identity numbers burned into it, so it's quite interesting. I also have a drift log that I picked up at the same time, I shall give this a place instead, or pick up some mopani.

Sand makes sense, I shall collect some small rounded pebbles from a beach near my parents' place to mix in to make it look less uniform.

Java fern is something I was going to put into other tanks, I shall give it a try in this tank. What I shall also put in is some moss balls.

Back on the "HELP!" thing - can anyone UK recommend a good CHEAP supplier of inert aquarium sand? On balance I'd prefer black, or am I shooting for the moon there?

Try, (BD Trading, aquarium sand) it's quality, cheap and dose not alter PH, I wouldn't use anything else, don't think they have Black sand though.
It's available, Ebay, shops, everywhere.

I'd also be a little cautious of adding plants collected in the UK as they could intoduce diseases or parasites unless you treat them first

More great advice - thank you.

With regards to plants, then - are there any recommended mail order suppliers? Also, a recommended treatment for the plants?